Modern computer systems are designed to receive input from a number of input devices including mice and trackballs. Both the mouse and the trackball control the cursor on a computer screen, and include keys for performing certain computer operations. Frequently, a mouse includes a ball mounted to the bottom of a housing. When the mouse is moved over a supporting surface, the ball movement is translated into distance and direction information, which is supplied to the computer. The cursor on the computer screen is moved in a direction and by an amount corresponding to the movement of the ball. The mouse may also include buttons or keys, which control particular operations on the computer. In another arrangement for the mouse, the mechanical ball tracking system is replaced with an optical tracking system to measure movement of the mouse with respect to the supporting surface.
A trackball device is also a common peripheral for computers and workstations. In a trackball device, the tracking ball is rotatably mounted to a part of the housing that is exposed when it is resting on a supporting surface. To operate the trackball device, the housing remains stationary on a supporting surface and the ball is moved relative to the housing by a user. Once again, the movement of the ball is translated to corresponding movement of the cursor on the computer screen. The trackball device typically includes buttons or keys, which control particular operations on the computer.
The conventional mouse may be difficult to efficiently use in conditions of low lighting or no lighting, since there is nothing to render the exact position of the mouse visible in these conditions. More particularly, in order to enhance the visibility of the information displayed on a computer screen and to reduce glare from the screen, computers are often operated in either low or no lighting conditions. Operations requiring the use of the mouse are typically performed periodically, therefore the user is frequently required to locate and orient the mouse to perform a particular operation. Although the mouse is usually arranged within reach of the user, it may be difficult to efficiently locate and orient the mouse with low or no lighting.
A similar problem exists with trackball devices. Users typically desire to locate the movable ball quickly without relying solely on tactile feedback. Accordingly, poor lighting conditions can make quick and accurate positioning of the user's hand on the trackball device or locating the trackball device inefficient.
Difficulty in quick and accurate locating of a mouse and/or trackball device can be more significant when the input devices are being used with certain computer programs. For example, certain programs may require the user to move his or her hand between a keyboard and the computer input device hundreds of times. Any efficiency gained in these repetitive movements may increase the user's efficiency with the program and may make such repetitive movements more tolerable.
Additionally, some computer users will accidentally turn off his or her computer monitor without turning off the central processing unit (CPU). When this occurs, there may be no indication that the CPU is still ON. While some CPUs may include a small light indicating that the system is ON, such a small light on the CPU may be difficult to see. As many CPUs are stored underneath desks, a small indicator light on a CPU may not serve as a casual, easily noticeable indicator providing information as to whether the system is ON or OFF.
Therefore, a mouse and a trackball device are needed which would enable a user to quickly and accurately locate and position the mouse and trackball device during conditions where there is reduced lighting or no lighting. Additionally, a device to provide an improved indication as to whether the computer is ON or OFF is also needed. The present invention was developed to accomplish these and other objectives.
Many computer communication systems, such as e-mail programs, are currently used. Some of these programs have notification features. Typically, with a notification feature of the program in an active mode, the receipt of an e-mail may cause an icon or user interface to appear on the display device or may cause the computer to produce an audible signal. However, such icons and visual indicators take up valuable display area, and both the visual and audible indicators can sometimes be annoying, even to the point where many users disable such features.
Further, many existing notification systems lose their effectiveness if a computer user leaves the area of his or her computer and later returns. When such a situation occurs, the user is unable to tell whether to engage the computer to read an e-mail or respond to a solicitation relating to a communications program. If there is no reason to engage the computer, the user typically wants to leave the computer untouched unless there is a reason to engage the computer. This is especially true when the computer is in a power saving mode or the monitor is far away and engagement is inconvenient. Additionally, with current visual display notification systems, the monitor needs to be powered ON to be notified of a receipt of an e-mail or other communication receipt. There may be some situations where users prefer to turn their monitors off when not being actively used and would still like to receive notifications. Most screen savers are disabled only upon a user input such as the user pressing a key on a mouse, trackball or keyboard or by moving a mouse or a ball on a trackball. Thus, most notification systems are ineffective when a screen saver is on. It would be advantageous to be able to have a notification system still be effective when a monitor is off or when a screen saver is running. Also, it would be advantageous to have a notification system that has a wide field of view, so that it does not require users to orient themselves nor approach the device to see the notification. Therefore, an improved notification system was also needed.